New education building

All activities have been set in motion to realise a new sustainable, multi-functional education building next to the current Polak Building.

The new building will be the same size as Polak Building and will have almost the same functionalities for approximately six hundred study places and lecture rooms. The new building, the name of which still needs to be determined, will open its doors in 2022. Of course there will be a significant focus on sustainability in this building.

Priority for study places in Tinbergen

Tinbergen Building will offer space for classrooms and no fewer than 560 extra study places from September 2019.

You can already find (quiet) study places on the 12th and 13th floors and can work in groups on the 5th and 11th floors. Until the end of this year, Tinbergen Building will be prepared for these temporary functions floor by floor. The study places will be designed in close consultation with students so that these match their needs as much as possible. WiFi coverage has been measured in the week of 8 April and will be modified later where necessary.

Sports enthusiasts

Preparations for the new sports centre on Erasmus Plaza/Kralingse Zoom are in full flow.

There will be a strong focus on circular principles throughout the sports centre construction. It will be an energy-neutral building. Various parties have been asked to produce a construction proposal and the tender process is ongoing. This process will be completed by the summer.

The ground on which the sports centre is to be built will be prepared for construction after the summer holidays. The volleyball courts, which can still be used throughout the summer, will then be removed, as well as any (remaining) construction material.

Sustainability policy

The Executive Board has decided to give a visible injection to campus sustainability in a number of areas.

This includes a project to ensure fully separated waste collection across the entire campus as well as the EUC and ISS locations. This project has now started. We will also be investing in solar panels, LED lighting and sedum roofs. Additional investment in the sports centre has offered the opportunity for energy-neutral construction.

Workstation occupation levels

A workplace occupation level tally was carried out in all campus buildings in November 2018.

An average occupation level of around 27 per cent was measured. As hardly any office space is available and the university is expanding, discussions were held on making a more sustainable and efficient use of space.

Upwards in Mandeville Building

Since February, modifications have been carried out to the central air conditioning system on the 18th and 19th floors of Mandeville Building.

The climate system as well as interior walls and floors were also cleaned up for the new users of these two floors. A new ventilation system was hoisted to the Mandeville Building roof on Saturday, 26 March. To make efficient use of the crane, solar panels for the roof were also hoisted. Previous attempts had been called off due to high winds. Thirty-five employees were involved in hoisting the ‘contraption’ on that Saturday, from traffic controllers and crane operators to project managers and a colleague for distributing coffee.

Skybridge almost ready for use again

Following months of hard work on the skybridge between Erasmus and Tinbergen Building, a start has been made to clear the site beneath the skybridge.

In recent months, the skybridge has been given new insulated glazing, new ceilings have been installed and the bridge now has an improved, natural ventilation system. As well as the bridge, the carilloneur space has also been refurbished. The skybridge is not yet open, but can be used again starting from the end of May. By that time the carillon will also have been tested and will be operational again.

Shading for University Library windows

Local residents outside the university had requested that the light pollution from the university library be reduced in the evening.

There were various issues concerning this request, such as costs, the time the shades should be used and the student experience (no longer being able to look outside). An appropriate solution has now been found and a shading solution will be installed in the coming months.

Campus garden

Work is taking place on the design of a campus garden and an apiary is being installed at the entrance to Kralingse Zoom/Park Noord.

Both are initiatives of the Sustainability Hub. The Hub is responsible for the garden maintenance. The unique garden and apiary will be taken into use on Monday, 22 April and will be opened in an appropriate way. In line with the Sustainable Foodlab, the garden will play an important role in information and education with respect to sustainable food provision.

National Sowing Day: Monday, 22 April On National Sowing Day, the Friends of the Bee Foundation and the Bee Foundation will be asking landowners to create flower strips to create one large band of flowers for bees. This will contribute to the food supply for bees and butterflies.

New art arriving

Three artworks will be back in their rightful places from 8 April.

The works were loaned to the Singer museum in Laren and are being returned to our university. This concerns: 1. The three x six-metre-large artwork ‘Etende mensen’ by Lucebert’, dated 19692. ‘De lift’, dated 2000 by Fiona Tan 3. ‘Coffee growers seeking help’ dated 2013, by Charlotte Schleiffert.Two paintings will be returned to their familiar places, Lucebert in Erasmus Building (hall between Aula and Theil) and Schleiffert on the ground floor of Van der Goot Building.

Lucebert

The Director of the Singer museum considered the Lucebert painting to be a real discovery: “This find is what makes it fun for me as Director,” stated De Lorm. “‘Etende mensen’, 3 x 6 metres, comes from the Erasmus University Rotterdam collection, where it was previously displayed in the canteen. I didn’t know this painting and it’s never been in a museum. It’s unique that we were able to exhibit it here.”

Alma Mater

Now that construction on the skybridge above the K.P. van de Mandeleplein is almost complete, another familiar piece will be returning. This is the artwork by Ger van Iersel from 1983 and has no title, but was given the nickname ‘Alma Mater’ many years ago. It was offered to the university community by the University Fund in memory of Mr. B. J. de BOER during the University’s 14th lustrum.

Smoke-free campus

Legislation is being introduced that obliges us as university to make the entire campus smoke-free from September 2020.

In the short term we expect the Executive Board to make a decision on plans to facilitate an entirely smoke-free campus, in which no form of smoking/tobacco products is permitted (this also means no e-cigarettes with or without nicotine) and with no smoking facilities on campus. This will mean that from academic year 2019-2020, we will already be reducing smoking on campus and in any event will ensure that a smoke-free zone is created at the building entrances.

Water pipes

Everyone has suffered a little from the water infrastructure works.

The road was dug up bit by bit across the entire campus to carry out drilling and earthworks. These activities will be completed by the end of April. The new pipes will improve hygiene as they are narrower, which reduces the risk of bacteria. If the fire service needs water, they can still use the old pipes.

Reminder: Place your bicycle in the bicycle rack!

Have you already been reprimanded for placing your bicycle or scooter in the wrong place?

For several weeks and at set times, stewards have been present to confront you if you park your bicycle in the wrong place. A particular problem is bicycles randomly left by the door of the University Library. That is why new bicycle racks will be installed soon between G-Building and the University Library, to accommodate a further 300 bicycles. There are multiple covered bicycle stands and a large covered bicycle stand beneath the skybridge/K.P. van der Mandeleplein. Use them! Bicycles not parked in the racks and derelict bicycles will be removed by security (following one warning).

Our compliments to the drivers of an electric scooter who placed their (Felyx) city scooter in the designated compartments.